Mamluk architecture was a flowering of Islamic art during the reign of the
Mamluks (1250–1517 AD) which is most visible in medieval
Cairo.
Religious zeal made them generous patrons of architecture and art. Trade and agriculture flourished under Mamluk rule, and Cairo, their capital, became one of the wealthiest cities in the
Near East and the center of artistic and intellectual activity. This made Cairo, in the words of
Ibn Khaldun, "the center of the universe and the garden of the world", with majestic domes, courtyards, and soaring minarets spread across the city.